Back on the track at last....
Being away from home for three months this winter meant that I haven't been able to do much development work at all, so engine was closed back with just new Ti valve collars from Bwaller. After installing new pistons last year, the engine still smoked, so my best guess was that the lack of oiling holes in the skirt caused that, drilled some new ones and put new valve seals just to make sure. Some last minutes hiccups like a stripped plug thread two weeks before the race were solved, off we set.
Nice weather (last year it was pouring), I have a new front tire and new brake pads to scrub in as well as give the bike a first shake up. First free session, motor seems fine, doesn't smoke anymore, even the slight pinging it had before has stopped (oil in the chamber will lower your octane I hear), good to know that the last rebore was successful. Main problem now is the rider! Since last year it was soaking wet, I don't really remember my lines and there are quite a few tricky corners. My two boots are also oily, there are leaks, some stuff to sort out.
The external oil feed to the cam is leaking form both right and left sides and further check shows I forgot to tighten down two spark plugs. Naughty me.
Clean bike, pass tech check then have a quick chat with Dario Tosolini, a young guy who had a bright future in World superbike till a bad crash put him in coma for ten days and ended his career in 2002, He won a world 1000 superstock round in monza earlier that year and was slotted for a works ride. He plays now with classics and has the luxury of being fully sponsored on a 60K$ Paton 500... He gives me a few tips for the last corner that sort out my entry to the main straight.
First timed qualifying and it works, I am faster by two seconds than I've ever been here, but the oil feed still leaks on one side and I pull in. New copper washers for the banjo feed, all looks OK. Second qualifying session, in late afternoon it's usually hard to improve on the cool morning times, but I go faster still by another 1.5 secs even if through the session i notice that while fixing the oil line, i left one fairing screw off and its dangling now... I try to keep my concentration up, but who knows, could have been a bit faster still if I didn't have to pull in to have this fixed.
Before race day, there's a night and what a night! After a really clear and warm day, there's a big storm, tons of water pour down and i cant but feel sorry for the guys in tents in the paddock, luckily we are in a hotel room. Come race day, track is soaking wet and by 11:00 AM, although drier, somebody's motor has exploded in a prior race and track is full of white filler powder in some very important spots. during the warm up lap it look quite scary, the track is almost unsafe, water and oil don't mix well.
My shaky plans go to hell at the start when while accelerating and pulling my legs up on the pegs, I get a huge CRAMP in my upper thigh, have to make the first corner with my right leg dangling and I exit the corner in last place.... Lap times are bad for everybody and I manage to reel quite a few in but have some hairy moments on the white filler. I am not the only one, there are quite a few crashes too and i end up in 4th position in the 4-str. 500 class. Strange race, lap times were slower by a good 5 secs due to conditions, save for one guy: Damiani, the champion who is now running a 500 Paton in our class too. He laps most of the field, 1100cc open classers included, riding as if the filler just wasn't there. Nuts, in the good sense of the word and he's not a kid.
Not a bad start of season for me but i feel a bit disappointed that our class has shrunk quite a bit during the two last years. I think that in 2007 we had almost twice the people that we have now. Some have moved to the new 1100cc open class superbikes but quite a few have simple left, my guess is due to the economy.
Next race is May 9 in Maggione, Perugia.
TG
